SESTI Final Conference
June 7, 2011 Leave a Comment
The Project
The SESTI project (Scanning for Emerging Science and Technology Issues) is one of six foresight projects funded through a 2006 FP7 call under the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities theme. During the project a number of techniques were developed to identify weak signals and emerging issues in a systematic, efficient and effective way. The project also included the organisation of a number of workshops designed to link the developed techniques in a meaningful way to existing policy processes.
The project was launched in October 2008 and comes to a close in June 2011.
The Conference
The techniques developed in the SESTI project were the subject of an earlier workshop. In this Conference we focus on the three thematic areas which were investigated during the course of the project, and will present the key results from each exercise. The target audience includes EU and national policymakers, foresight experts and other stakeholders.
The three themes addressed by the project are as follows:
- Cognitive Enhancement
- Energy
- Health
Download other material:
D5.1 Paper on emerging issues Weak signals with relevance to Cognitive Enhancement
February 7, 2011 Leave a Comment
The present document was prepared as the background material for the SESTI workshop on Cognitive Enhancement (CE). The objective of the present document is to help understand which pathways are used to enhance human cognitive capabilities and to assess these pathways through search of weak signals that may lead to the identification of policy relevant perspectives, risks and issues. The overall aim is to establish a common understanding about the main elements characterizing the area of CE so as to trigger discussions.
D5.1.3 Paper on emerging issues Major trends, challenges and emerging issues in Energy
February 6, 2011 Leave a Comment
The present document was prepared as the background material for the SESTI workshop on Energy.
The objective of the present document is to help understand the wider context in the energy field characterized by specific trends and the challenges and present a selected number of emerging issues within context. The overall aim is to establish a common understanding about the main elements characterizing the area of energy so as to trigger discussions. Taking energy as the example area, the objective of the workshop is to better understand what the needs of the policymaker are in order to make the decision to take up the emerging issue within the mainstream discussion in their community. By discussing the case issue of energy, feedback will also be sought on how to organize future workshops around new topics and develop briefs around new emerging issues. The workshop is envisaged to provide in depth information about what the needs of the users are in relation to the SESTI deliverables as well as the applied identification and selection process of early warning signals, and the processing procedures.
D5.1.4 Paper on emerging issues Major trends, challenges and emerging issues in Health
February 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
Health and social services are set to become increasingly important commodities as European society grows older. But a growing demand for services that are provided in many Member States by the public sector is creating unprecedented pressures on health systems. Despite differences in political approaches and institutional frameworks health sector in Europe in all European Union (EU) face similar challenges, notably the need to adjust to demographic ageing and to changing employment and family patterns. At issue is the increasing level of resources devoured by health and social care systems year on year. Moreover, the prospect of social and demographic changes anticipated over the coming 20 years leaves many in despair as to how existing systems will cope.
Beginning with a brief overview of the European healthcare sector, this report goes on to examine some of the trends and issues that are driving developments and reforms in the health sector in Europe. The report takes a closer look at some of those issues and drivers of change that are likely to have significant implications for the future of health. Given the variety of drivers at play, it is rather difficult to be precise in imagining what these services may look like in 10-15 years time. Therefore, a set of scenarios will be presented compiled from respected sources. The report will then identify a set of emerging issues and related early weak signals in line with the objectives of the SESTI project. The report is rounded off with an account of some of the policy measures being implemented by the EU and Member States in addressing several of the issues addressed as important for the future of the sector.
D5.1.2: Background Paper for the SESTI Methodology Workshop
January 31, 2011 Leave a Comment
This report gives a reflection of the internal discussions of the project team on the concepts and methodological approach to prepare the execution of the different work packages. It is the intention of the project partners to revise this report after completion of the project in the form of a scientific publication.
D6.2 Workshop paper Developments in Cognitive Enhancement and associated policy issues
January 29, 2011 Leave a Comment
The present document was prepared to support the SESTI workshop on Cognitive Enhancement (CE). It complements the deliverable D5.1 (Weak signals with relevance to Cognitive Enhancement). The objective of the present document is to present an indicative snapshot of the literature on cognitive enhancement state-of-the-art and future evolutions as well as on the associated policy issues surrounding the specific field. The overall aim is to establish a common understanding about the main elements characterizing the area of CE, in combination with D5.1, so as to trigger discussions on the topic.
D6.3.2 Workshop Report: Methodology Workshop
January 28, 2011 Leave a Comment
The topic of Early warning signals and Emerging issues has become more important after 9/11 and the recent Credit Crisis. The aim of these relatively new foresight approaches is to better anticipate on possible future developments by early recognition of possible emerging issues but also identification and processing of early warning signals on these issues. SESTI’s
objective is to improve the understanding of these concepts and to operationalise them in order to develop pragmatic approaches which can be further developed in an evidencebased way.
The methodology workshop has focussed on some crucial questions regarding policy relevant “scanning and identification of emerging issues” and in connection to this “’the use of early warning and weak signals”.
The objectives of the workshop have been around two major topic categories:
- Scanning and methodology: The use of early warning (weak) signals in the process of scanning, identifying and analyzing of emerging issues and the possible role of and experience with automation.
- Dissemination and usage: The policymakers’ perspective and experience with the way in which new emerging issues enter the policy discourse and how scanning processes methods should connect to the policy arena.
- Participating experts were also given the opportunity for presentations about their work, methods, best practice and challenges they encounter and exchange ideas and comments within open as well as structured discussion sessions.
- They were asked to give attention to the following topics in their presentations
D7.7.1 Cognitive Enhancement Workshop: Weak Signals and Emerging Issues for European Policy
January 26, 2011 Leave a Comment
In order to better anticipate future opportunities and threats, foresight and other forward-looking activities are often used to initiate discussions regarding future developments in policy circles. While these activities are quite effective at clarifying issues that are currently evolving, they are less effective in identifying emerging issues that are not yet on the policy radar. Events that seem to occur suddenly may actually have been preceded by subtle warning signals which were not detected through established mechanisms.
The SESTI project (Scanning for Emerging Science and Technology Issues) has developed a mechanism which can be used to identify weak signals and emerging issues in a systematic, efficient and effective way. It is also pursuing the application and implementation of such techniques by linking them in a meaningful way to existing policy processes.
This document reports the findings of the workshop on emerging issues and weak signals in Cognitive Enhancement, which was held in Brussels on the 7th of June, 2010 as part of the SESTI project activities.
D7.7.3 Final Papers on Emerging Issues (3) – Energy Workshop: Weak Signals and Emerging Issues for European Policy
January 25, 2011 Leave a Comment
In order to better anticipate future opportunities and threats, foresight and other forward-looking activities are often used to initiate discussions regarding future developments in policy circles. While these activities are quite effective at clarifying issues that are currently evolving, they are less effective in identifying emerging issues that are not yet on the policy radar. Events that seem to occur suddenly may actually have been preceded by subtle warning signals which were not detected through established mechanisms.
The SESTI project (Scanning for Emerging Science and Technology Issues) has developed a mechanism which can be used to identify weak signals and emerging issues in a systematic, efficient and effective way. It is also pursuing the application and implementation of such techniques by linking them in a meaningful way to existing policy processes.
This document reports the findings of the workshop on emerging issues and weak signals in Energy, which was held in Brussels on the 29th of November, 2010 as part of the SESTI project activities. The workshop was attended by an international panel of thematic experts, as well as national and EU-level policy-makers.
Identified Weak Signals and Emerging Issues
The scanning process developed by the SESTI project team led to the identification of a number of emerging issues, of which the following were selected for discussion at the thematic workshop and which might require special attention on the part of policymakers:
- Hybrid nuclear energy
- Renewables from the desert
- Biofuels, biomass and biomimicry
- Unknown risks of the hydrogen economy
- Digging deeper and farther.
